Barang (Odisha): A male wild tusker is madly in love with Heera, a female elephant presently in the safari of Odisha's famous Nandan Kanan zoo.
On Tuesday night, the male wild tusker from adjoining Chandka sanctuary, wanting to meet Heera, broke the boundary wall of Hasti Vihar, the elephant safari at Nandan Kanan.
The wild male tusker attacked two other female elephants, who were trying to protect Heera.
Worried staff at the zoo tried their best to shoo off the tusker. The male elephant went back to the deep forest of Chandka, but the staff noticed that it was still watching Heera enconsced inside the well-protected safari.
This is the first time an elephant from the wild entered a zoo in order to mate with a she-elephant.
There are three female elephants, Prema, Basanti and Heera, at the elephant safari in Nandan Kanan.
Zoo staff said that a herd of elephants had come close to the boundary wall near Daruthenga, and left, but a male elephant stayed on, eager to mate with Heera.
At night, it broke the boundary wall, entered Hasti Vihar, and attacked two female elephants, Prema and Basanti, who were trying to protect Heera. Both Basanti and Prema were injured. The male tusker then mated with Heera.
On Wednesday morning, animal keeper Shyam Singh and forest guard Susanta Behera, noticed the male tusker and immediately informed senior officials, who came with mahouts. The male tusker at first refused to leave.
The zoo officials then burst crackers to shoo off the tusker. Finally, it left in the evening, after watching Heera for a long time.
